Two people stabbed after cell phone theft

A stabbing Thursday night over an alleged cell phone theft sent two people to the hospital -- one with life-threatening injuries -- and Renton police took three young men into custody.

Police say the incident started when a teen allegedly had his cell phone stolen in the 700 block of Rainier Avenue South. The boy told his father and grandfather, and the group went out searching for the boy who allegedly stole it.

"They found him at the transit center in downtown Renton and got in some kind of altercation," police Cmdr. David Liebman said. "It sounds like a number of people were armed with knives."

The 73-year-old grandfather of the alleged theft victim was stabbed and suffered life-threatening injuries, Liebman said. An 18-year-old man also was stabbed, but police said his connection to the grandfather was unclear.

The three suspects taken into custody all were between ages 16 and 19. Officers were also searching for another man in his late teens who they believed was involved.

"It's very possible we had multiple people doing the stabbing, and that's what we're investigating right now," Liebman said.